Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Animals at Weddings by Sophie King ~ Guest Post and Competition

He was the star of my first
wedding in his grey top hat and smart whiskers. The photographer couldn’t get
enough of him. “Any chance of another ear nibble?”

No. It wasn’t an
over-enthusiastic groom.

He was a small little black puppy
called Tramp. And I was madly in love with him. My then-husband’s secretary had
given him to us as a wedding present and she’d brought him along to the
wedding. How sweet was that?

Amazingly, Tramp behaved himself
impeccably. Perhaps he knew he was setting a trend. Because back in those days
(I was a very young bride!), it wasn’t as fashionable as it is now to have
animals at a wedding.

Snakes, cats, tortoises, fish ,
hamsters and even a monkey ... All these are apparently “common” guests in the
audience when a couple seals the knot. At least, that’s what I discovered when
doing my research for my novel “The Wedding Party”.

But they can cause chaos as
Tracey, a shop manager from London, found out. “My fiancé is obsessed by his
pet snakes. They’re not dangerous but it took me a while to get used to them.
When he said he wanted them to come to our wedding, I thought he was joking.
But he wasn’t. I said I’d only allow it if they came in their travelling cage.
But his brother took one out jsut after our vows, to show it to another guest.
She screamed and then everyone began to scream. We had to stop the service
until he took it out of the church.”

Maybe the happy couple should
have got married outside like Jill and George, a farming couple from Yorkshire.
They were hitched in a field, surrounded by their sheep. “We didn’t want them
to miss out on our big day,” said Jill. “Mind you, it took ages to get the
sheep poo off the bottom of my dress.”

Too much information!

In the United States (where
else?) exotic animals are a must for any couple who want a wedding with a
difference. One couple from Florida got married with a pair of llamas next to
them as they said “I do” on the beach. And in Las Vegas, there is even a lion
ranch where couples can tie the knot as close to the lions as safety permits.

Elephants are considered to bring
good luck according to some cultures. Perhaps that’s why one groom arrived on
top of a large Dumbo – again in Vegas.

But before you start making a
list of your must-have pets, you need to think about whether it’s fair on them,
say the experts. Animals aren’t like wedding guests. They can’t be expected to
be quiet during a service and hang around afterwards for the photographs. They
need the right conditions – including the correct temperature and food. You
also need permission from the wedding venue. Remember that snake wedding I
mentioned earlier? It turns out that no one had told the vicar. Snakes might be
part of the Adam and Eve story but that doesn’t mean they make good wedding
guests.

Maybe it’s safer to stick with a
rabbit. “Our Floppy is very domesticated,” says Holly, a bride from Devon. “I
carried her down the aisle instead of a bouquet. She loved it.”

Really? But how did she know?

Meanwhile, if you’re thinking of
proposing and are still summing up the nerves, you could always ask your dog to
do the deed for you. That’s what Martin did after living with his partner for
five years. “One evening, our Labrador padded into the kitchen with a note
attached to his collar,” said Sandy from London. “It read 'Will you marry me'?”

When Monique and Geoff decide to
tie the knot they soon discover that love second time around brings special
challenges. And not just for them. There are ups and downs for family, friends,
the wedding planner, and even the vicar as the big day approaches.

Geoff’s ex-wife can’t accept that
he has moved on. Could a chance meeting help Helen come to the right decision
about her future?

Their daughter, Becky, doesn’t
approve of her dad’s bride-to-be. But as she juggles motherhood and a
high-powered career, will she realise it’s her own marriage that needs most
attention?

Janie was sacked from her last
job as a wedding planner for being so disorganised. Is she really the right
choice to help the happy couple get hitched without a hitch?

Mel swapped a job in advertising
for a new life as a vicar. But can she keep her faith after an accident which
turns her family’s world upside down?

Family and friends learn that the
course of true love never did run smooth, and there really is no such thing as
a stress-free wedding. But can they each still find their own happy ever after?

To celebrate the publication of
"The Wedding Party", thanks to the lovely people at gift experience
company Tinggly, we have a voucher worth £80 for any one experience worldwide
from their Essential Collection. The ideal present for friends or family who
are about to tie the knot!

To be in with a chance, simply
email your answer to the following question to sophie@greatstorieswithheart.com
by midnight BST on 10th August 2015.

Question: What is the name of
Geoff's daughter in "The Wedding Party" by Sophie King?

See the full range at
www.tinggly.com. Voucher must be used by 25/6/2017. Entry will be chosen at
random. Emails and contents will not be shared with any third party and will be
deleted after the competition. Competition run by Wyndham Media Ltd. Judges decision
is final.